Definition
by Unicess
Summary: She never understood love. It was what made her weak. After running her mind over it multiple times, Maka realized; she didn't even know what love was. Shameless SoulxMaka


**Well... This took nearly forever! But with school... You can't complain really. Anyway- Hi. ****How are you?**** Sorry I've been a bit inactive lately. I know, I know, my brain needs the exercise, procrastination is a terrible habit, school is very demanding, I need to stop complaining... I'm tired, as you can probably tell. Ah, well, don't let me bore you into not reading. Please, with all due, read! I hope you enjoy, ****I worked very hard, haha. ****No, seriously. I did.  
**

* * *

_I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you, Maka._

_I-I'm in love with you too._

Maka shivered and blinked, recalling her situation to her. Had it really happened? Maka shifted her weight onto her backside as she moved on the couch, staring at the mess of white hair gently spread over her neck, and hot breath spilling onto her back rhythmically.

Maka looked away, inhaling like she was whistling, and exhaling the same way. She shifted her weight again. _  
_She didn't quite remember the sequence of events that had caused this to happen. Maka herself could hardly believe it. She had pinched herself four times already, and still counting.

It had happened because they were mad at each other, but for the count, Maka was the one who was mad. It had something to do with Blair, but the mischievous violet-haired cat had disappeared before someone could even shout her name. Then they were yelling at each other. She had thrown things at him. Soul tolerated her, to an extent.

It had reached a peak of insanity that had been the point of screwing up their friendship, soul bond, everything- And then he kissed her. And everything changed.

One passionate, enticing, intimate kiss that quickly morphed into… something else.

Maka blushed. Had she really gone through with that? She couldn't get the taste of his lips of her mind, or how positively electric she felt throughout the entire time. Was this what it was like?

Maka smiled to herself. She hadn't remembered when it had ended. But it had ended with them squeezing together side-by-side on the couch.

The blonde froze as the body next to her moved, pressing his nose deeper into her hair, his lips brushing over the bare skin of her neck. The arm around her waist tightened unconsciously. Maka blinked again, and sighed in contentment. It was late after all. It was time she finally got some sleep. Maka settled in the cradling arms of Soul as her eyelids fluttered close.

* * *

Maka fidgeted anxiously, as her feet refused to move towards the campus of DWMA rebelliously. Soul stopped simultaneously to turn around and face her with a brow raised.  
"What's up?"

Maka sighed. She was trying her hardest to not be uncomfortable, but nerves got in the way. Her heart and head were still pounding from their seemingly explosive chemistry the other evening. And Soul was acting so nonchalant about it. He seemed unfazed about the whole thing. Maybe it was only Soul being his calm self, but Maka… Maka couldn't possibly do that. How could she act like nothing had happened? Like nothing had changed. It sure _felt_ like a lot had changed.

Maka blew a fair piece of her bangs out her eye, stress making its way through her system. Soul reached for her hand, and quite so suddenly… Her hand was wrapped beneath his.

"C'mon Maka, don't lose your cool. Well, the small amount you had in the first place…" Soul started, trailing off as Maka threw him a murderous glare.

"Okay, okay! Look…" Soul leaned in so close his forehead was nearly touching hers.

"I'm not ignoring the fact things have changed between us. I'm not a jerk." He said, his voice on the edge of a whisper, his eyes stark and unblinking towards hers.

"I beg to differ." Maka mumbled under her breath. Soul ignored her.

"- Act as you would any other day Maka. I don't want stir up anything with anyone, especially your idiot father-"

Maka bit her lip. Of course. How could she forget about Spirit? He was an idiot, but her father nonetheless. She had a few faint ideas about his approach to the situation. If he knew too early, he would take advantage of it, and try to meddle. In the wrong way.  
If he knew too late, he would fall into a state of depression and feel he had lost hold of her completely. She didn't want much to do with her father, but she didn't want to make him sad. Maka nodded.  
"You are absolutely right Soul. Spirit would flip out." Maka agreed earnestly, nodding her head.

Soul grinned, revealing a set of pointed teeth.  
"I knew you would-"

"But he is still my father and he deserves to know-"

Soul frowned, pulling away indignantly.  
"_What?!_ I don't want that old bastard to meddle-"

"At the right time." Maka finished. Her partner's tense shoulders fell as he stared at her in slight misunderstanding. Maka watched as his muddled expression quickly transitioned to an understanding one.

Soul sighed, grasping Maka's words.  
"… So- He doesn't have to know _now_?" He asked, evidently restless.

Maka shook her head with a smile.  
"Nope!"

"Good, at least we have some time for things to progress." Soul grumbled, though it was apparent he wasn't quite satisfied.

Maka tilted her head to the side, staring up at Soul with large, forest green eyes.  
"What's that supposed to mean?"

Soul stopped to stare into her eyes, blinking a couple times before turning away, seemingly flustered. He scratched the back of his neck nervously.  
"Uh… Nevermind. Just, uh- be cool." Soul stated as if it was the answer to every question on earth.

Maka raised a brow towards him as he pulled her towards the school anxiously. Be cool.

Maka smiled to herself.

* * *

Tsubaki glanced at Maka constantly, with a curious demeanor. Maka took note of Tsubaki's behavior and noticed the flitting of her eyes, her twitching shoulders and non-stop squirming. It was unusual for Tsubaki to act so awkwardly around her. And she had been doing so for about three days.

This class was one of the only ones she didn't have with Soul, so Tsubaki became her informant, her close friend and constant project partner. She was cheerful most of the time, and nearly always willing to prattle on about nonsense with Maka. Maka herself was in quite the optimistic mood but she couldn't feel so assured Tsubaki was feeling the same way.

Maka observed the situation again as Tsubaki again made another unmistakable glance towards Maka. Her complexion was flushed and hurried as she noticed that Maka had stared back at her. Tsubaki tapped her pencil against the table with relentless speed, chewing on a loose strand of hair concurrently.

Maka watched curiously as the dark-haired girl stood up a millisecond before the bell alerted the room with a lengthy chime. In a few mere seconds, the students within the cramped room stood up, filing out of the room hurriedly.

Tsubaki, quickly made her way out of the room, not turning around to face Maka. The blonde frowned. That was strange, for Tsubaki at least.

The young meister brushed against a few fellow students, politely inserting a few 'excuse me's' along the way. Maka sighed as she passed by a single person, finally able to breathe properly. Maka's feet carried her to Tsubaki faster, and all at once Maka reached up and tapped Tsubaki on the shoulder.

"Tsubaki! Wait!" Maka panted, attempting to catch her breath.

Tsubaki stopped, her shoulders stiffening as she slowly turned around to face Maka.  
"H-Hello Maka!" She squeaked out, sounding very much like a small child.

Maka beamed, placing a hand on her hip.  
"Is something up? You've been quiet all morning. And yesterday morning. And the morning before that…" Maka trailed away unpleasantly, biting her lip. It was hard to not make it seem blunt and forceful.

Tsubaki flushed red, her mouth opening and closing.  
"I-I thought- You know what Maka, I'm sort of hungry, want to grab something to eat later-"

"Tsubaki! What's wrong?" Maka exclaimed, cutting her off. Maka's face fell dramatically.

"Did I say something to make you upset?" She murmured as Tsubaki's face contorted with horror.

The dark-haired girl turned about five shades of scarlet.  
"Oh _no_! Of course not, Maka! I-I just…"

Maka glanced up at the taller girl with a perplexed expression on her face. Tsubaki glanced over the hallways uncomfortably, as it grew more empty by the second. People were slowly dissipating into classrooms; the corridors were becoming quiet, allowing echoes to noticeably fling themselves throughout the spacious long hallways. Tsubaki stepped closer to Maka, still seeming flustered and uncomfortable.  
"M-Maka, you didn't upset me or anything, it's just…" Tsubaki glanced around, surveying the halls anxiously.

"Well, about three days ago, I saw you and Soul talking to each other, and you two were all up in each other's faces. I-I thought that maybe you and Soul had an argument about something, and after that, you two seemed strange around one another. You two were acting in a way around one another that you two _never _act in! It felt like there was rift between you too. It just made me sort of… uncomfortable. I'm sorry I didn't speak to you sooner Maka!" Tsubaki sniffed, at the verge of tears.

Maka's eyes widened. She had seen them talking about three days ago? Had it really looked strange? Were she and Soul really acting… weird? She bit her lip. They usually never looked uneasy together. They usually _were _never awkward in the other's presence. Everything about their relationship seemed so… easy. Everything felt effortless, and they just worked. She never felt that they were problematic, and if they were, it was revolved around silly arguments. It was abnormal for anything between them to _be_ _abnormal._ They weren't even in the midst of an argument; they were supposed to be in love.  
If you could call it love. Maka's heart skipped a beat before dropping into the pit of her stomach. The more she thought about it, it wasn't quite… love. In fact, she was certain, nothing had really occurred between them since _that_ night. Nothing but a few meaningless _I love you's _thrown in. Maka blinked, wetting her lips with her tongue. Was their new romantic relationship causing this unfamiliarity, this… this intrusion?  
And was it even romantic at all?

Maka's breathing sped up, matching the violent pounding in her chest, her heart thumping so much it hurt. Maka breathed inwards, glancing up at a vertically blessed Tsubaki above her. The pony-tail-donning girl frowned down at Maka worriedly.  
"I-Is something the matter Maka?" She quizzed with her curiousity apparent.

Maka tried to shake off her loud emotions, failing. She had to tell Tsubaki what was going on.  
"Tsubaki, I'm fine, really. And what you saw between me and Soul-"Maka breathed in sharply, brisk air striking the back of her throat. Tsubaki tilted her head to the side, brow sympathetic.

"It was nothing." Maka replied dryly, adding a humorless laugh as Tsubaki beamed back nervously.

And she wasn't even lying.

* * *

Maka's hand trembled as she pressed a jagged piece of metal into the front doorknob of her apartment, breathing harshly. She didn't know what to think anymore.

The weapon-wielder turned and pushed the door open with a simple and quick movement of her wrist and shoulder, the door opening, inviting her in. Maka stepped inside her house, folding her book-enclosing arms tighter around her chest as the door snapped shut behind her back. The petite girl reached up, placing her key-ring on the hook adjacent to the door. She walked as quietly as she could through the entrance of the apartment, not trying to call Blair's attention to her.

"Maka?"

She froze in the entryway. Maka's head turned slowly to meet the lazy gaze of Soul, who stood nearby in the kitchen with a recently popped open glass soda bottle.

Maka blinked.  
"Soul… You're home early." She blurted out breathlessly.

Soul stared at her, narrowing a pair of red eyes.  
"I could say the same about you." He replied emotionlessly, bringing the soda bottle to his lips.

Maka looked away, tightening her hold on her books. It was so quiet, even as Soul set down the glass bottle with a clink. Maka opened her mouth, taking a breath.  
"I wasn't feeling well. So I decided to go home." Maka replied, not meeting his eyes as she half-lied. She looked away before feeling courageous enough to question him.  
"Why did _you_ come home early?"

Soul glanced at her, raising a brow. He seemed almost surprised she'd asked him such a question.  
"You didn't show up for class, so I went home to wait for you here. I've only been here for about five minutes." He explained.

An outwardly, infinite silence followed.

"Oh." Maka said back half-heartedly, not understanding why she felt so disappointed.  
"I'm going to get ready for bed. You can order something for dinner. I'm not hungry." She finished, walking off to her room gloomily.

Soul stared at her, a frown across his forehead. His eyes following her as she strode off to her room in dejection.  
"Maka, are you sure you're all right-"

"I'm _fine._ Just… leave me alone till tomorrow." She spat back, forcefully, not wanting any contact with him as she reached for the metal knob on her door and grasped it.

"Uh, _okay…?_-"Maka heard Soul reply back to her obliviously before she hastily shut the door behind her completely.

Maka pressed her back against the door, sliding down to the floor as her bottom hit the ground with a quiet thump. Her knees were pressed against her chest, her back slouching slightly, and she pulled her head back to bump slightly into the door. She stared at the wall in front of her with half-open eyes, and parted lips before squeezing her eyes shut. She felt so… lost. What did this all mean? What was the entirety of its purpose? Why did she even think it work? Nothing had changed between them, and now all she could do was mope. Is this what it was like? To be in a relationship?

Maka shook her head, correcting herself. No. They were not in a relationship. Nothing had been altered. She was just making it that way. Relationships. Maka scoffed. Being caught up in something so fruitless and time-wasting always seemed silly to her. Now she had experienced it for herself, and she was right.

Love was useless.

Maka's chest ached so abundantly she sensed a wave paralysis sweep through the length of her body. She raised a tentative hand to her heart.

And this… This was heartbreak. It felt exactly the way it was worded. If it never was love… why the hell did it hurt so much? _Why_ did it have to hurt? Maka shook her head again. She was asking too many questions, and not receiving any answers. Maybe she should just _stop. _Stop asking questions altogether.  
But she couldn't stop. _Why?_

She'd experienced the warmth and passion, and she had experienced the pang of regret and heartache. Maka breathed in shakily. It was beautiful and horrific.

She didn't want to feel it again.

* * *

Maka flipped through another aged page in the leather bound book she was reading. She was supposed to be completing a book report on its weathered information with Tsubaki; they were studying history of soul bonding and the unity of meisters and weapons, the early years of the DWMA, etc… And Maka barely understood a thing. It felt unnatural, to be exhausted and uninterested after reading a book. Maka practically always enjoyed every book she had ever read. It was different now. She sensed distance from everything; especially Soul.

She had barely spoken a word to him for two weeks.

It felt cowardly, yes, but she couldn't feel the same familiarity she used to around him. She decided a while ago that she would be more independent without him. She was probably too much, and it probably bothered him. She didn't want to intrude on his soul anymore.

She would bury herself into books, the way she did when she was younger, when she had cut her ties from Papa. Maka squeezed her eyes shut. She was letting things repeat themselves, except it was somewhat backwards now. Soul had _not_ betrayed her; she was in fact, betraying him.

Maka flipped another page, dousing her mind with yet another set of monotonous words, with the occasional bygone vocabulary.

Everybody was still kind to her, and yet, she couldn't return the favor. It made her sick to stomach, how dishonorable she was being. What kind of person was she? Maka didn't even know anymore. The questions she asked herself had no answers. It only dragged her down deeper into her own self-loathing.

She hated herself for being childish about this all. It was puppy love; a newly-discovered infatuation. It would start out smoothly before breaking down halfway down the road, just as her Mama and Papa did. Maka was being stupid; what did she expect? A long, heartfelt, love-fueled relationship to launch her into success and a happy well-being? No. It was far from that. She was only acting like the child she was. Soul didn't mean anything he'd said, just like she hadn't meant anything. It was just in the spur of the moment. Besides, there were far more important things she had to do; like surpass Spirit.

Maka nodded, crossing her polka-dotted, pajama-sock covered feet. That's right. Surpass her idiot of a father. It was the goal she had started with, and so the goal she would end with. Maka shoved her eyes toward the book. Read. Read. _Read._

Maka jumped suddenly as a feral growl from within her stomach startled her. She was hungry, and her stomach was alerting her of it. Maka remembered now. She had been studying for so long, she had forgotten all about eating dinner. Maka sat up, pushing on the palms of her hands and pulling her knees up to her chest to yank the pressure off of her aching stomach.

Maka strode to the doorway of her bedroom, clasping the doorknob and pulling it open, so she could quietly step through. Maka sighed, eyeing her surroundings. Good. It seemed Soul wasn't home yet. He was probably still playing basketball with everyone else. Maka squeezed her eyes shut, terrified she was feeling like this. She was paranoid. She was acting like a crazy person. Maka quickly darted over to the fridge, yanking it open and grabbing a few leftover boxes of Chinese take-out. Maka placed the containers within the rectangular proximity of the microwave and punched in a few buttons. In seconds, a low beep signaled the start of the food's reheating.

This would do it. Maybe she could just eat the Chinese food silently at the dinner table all alone. She needed time to herself anyway. Maka leaned against the counter before deciding to pick out a drink.  
"Let's see… Soda… Orange juice… Chocolate milk… water…." Maka wondered aloud, her hand tracing over the liquid contents in the ice-box.

Maka bit her lip before nodding.  
"Water it is!" She exclaimed cheerfully, grabbing a water bottle and twisting the lid open to take a sip.

Maka's face fell as she pulled the bottle from her lips slowly. Who was she kidding? Drinking water wouldn't suddenly make her happy. Maka emotionlessly retwisted the cap back onto the plastic bottle and wiped the wet corners of her mouth. Her lip quivered. She missed Soul. Maka folded her arms over chest. It was better though. To be away from each other. She only caused him pain. And he subconsciously did the same for her.

Maka's eyes flew open as the door did the same, along with the sound of footsteps and shuffling entering the room. Maka's eyes flew over to take in a slightly sweaty, exasperated, but mostly cheerful Soul.

"Hey Maka, I can't believe you missed out on today's game, you wouldn't believe what we made Black Star do when he lost-"

"I'm going to my room to study. Have a good night Soul." Maka replied blandly as a second beep sounded the air, and Maka opened the microwave that was filled with recently steamed Chinese food. She quietly placed the boxes on a large plate before grabbing her water bottle and turning away.

Soul stared at her, blinking occasionally before snorting.  
"Please Maka, you've been studying non-stop for the past two days. You need to come out of your room every once and a while-"

"I was just doing that right now." Maka shot back coldly with an icy stare. She turned away from Soul, carrying her plate back into her room.  
"I just need some time alone right now Soul. Goodbye." Maka explained casually as she walked off.

Silence filled the air and Maka winced inwardly. It hurt, but there was nothing she could do. Distance was the best thing right now.

"You've been telling me that for the past _two weeks_." Soul spat back just as if not harsher than Maka's previous words.

Maka stopped, wetting her lips, and glancing to her left. He was putting up with her again. Maka pursed her lips. It felt awful to do this to him but she was rather good at it; shutting people out, that is. He was just another man in her life she would push away-no, like any other _person _in her life. She would just do it again, she thought, tears stinging her eyes. She couldn't change who she was. Or what she would do. Maka would just place brick walls between her and people she thought she cared about until she had nothing. She never understood love. It was what made her weak. After running her mind over it multiple times, Maka realized; she didn't even know what love was.

Maka sucked in air through her teeth, forcing her legs to move again.  
"Good_night_ Soul." She replied through gritted teeth.

Maka bit her lip as she heard Soul scoff.

"You know, this thing of yours, this-this- _shoving people away _thing isn't gonna help you! I don't know what the hell your problem is, but you can't keep doing this! Walking away isn't cool Maka!" Soul yelled at her.

Maka sensed the loss of control in his words. Whenever Soul spoke like this, she didn't have to look at him. She knew already that when he lost control of the speed, the pitch, the pausing- Soul was opening up all of his wounds and bleeding profusely. He was showing vulnerability. And he was truly hurt.

Maka ignored him.

Soul grit his teeth.  
"People care about you and all you do is shut them out! God damnit Maka, you're so _selfish_!" He yelled.

It seemed as though his words echoed throughout the apartment, and through Maka's head, in a different order.  
_Selfish. Care. People. Shut. _Selfish.

Maka stopped, smiling to herself, her anger and frustration and guilt piling up upon one another.  
"Selfish huh? I guess that was the word I was looking for." Maka spoke aloud quietly.

Soul narrowed his eyes.  
"What are you talking about?" He spat back angrily.

Maka's hold on the plate began to tremble, her hands growing shaky. It was upsetting. Soul didn't understand anything. She couldn't believe he was being so…so… naïve! He believed everything that was fed to him, and he didn't even know what he was screaming about. Maka had felt everything. And Soul had felt nothing.

Maka spun around, slamming the plate onto the table, angry tears spilling out of her eyes. She clenched her fists and shut her eyes, more hot tears, falling down her face.  
"Stop acting like you know what you're talking about! You are _such_ a naïve little baby! I can't believe I ever told you I l-loved you, when I don't even know what it… what it _means! _I can't believe _you _told _me _you _loved _me, when _you_ don't even know the hell it means! You want me to say something to _you, _well here you go! I don't want to feel the way I feel right now, because it hurts so fucking much! You're telling me I'm selfish-I _know_ I'm selfish you sanctimonious little punk! What rubs me the wrong way is that you still think you're in _love _with me! You don't know what you said three weeks ago, Soul Eater Evans, but I do! I push people away because love _hurts_ me, Soul! God- you make me feel so stupid!" Maka screamed as possibly loud as she could, not at all excluding childish stomping and hair wrenching.

Maka panted with her face hot and wet, her clothes sticking to her body like sweaty glue, and her hair a mess. She couldn't believe she had just screamed out so much of her- her throat was starting to ache and she was beginning to feel embarrassed.  
"I-I, Soul, I-" She sputtered.

Maka felt the wind whoosh out of her lungs as she slammed against the wall suddenly. The blonde blinked before remembering to breathe as Soul's arms enveloped her body against the room's wall. Maka stared down at Soul's white mess off hair and she regained her breath.

Soul slowly turned his head so she was forced to look straight into his eyes. Maka couldn't blink.  
"Why…" He paused, and Maka could hear the slow rhythm of his breath and Maka wondered if he could hear the uncontrollable beating of her heart.

"…would you ever think I wasn't in love with you?" He asked quietly.

Maka didn't reply.

"I know why you doubt people. I know why you let them in close until they hit a wall. What I don't know is why you would ever doubt someone telling you they have feelings for you." Soul murmured.

Maka squeezed her eyes shut, as her chest started to hurt again. He still didn't understand.  
"Soul, why don't you get it? This isn't real, i-it's just a phase, all the feelings are-"

"No, Maka, why don't _you_ get it? I miss you, and I care about you, how hard is it for you to understand?" He nearly yelled.

Maka bit her lip. Soul caught her gaze again, unblinking, with pain and withdrawal visible in his pupils. Maka didn't say anything. But there was this piece of her that… wanted something.

Soul sighed.  
"Look, I might not be the greatest person that tells you exactly how I feel and stuff. But I mean everything I said. I think the only thing holding you back is that you don't know what you feel. Maka, tell me how you feel. We're stuck. I just want to hear it from you. Maka. Say it. Please."

Maka wanted to try. At least. The more she wanted to the less she believed in it and Maka could never understand that about herself. She wanted to scream out to the world she wanted to try and love and feel something but- she couldn't. She bit her tongue.

"Maka."

She didn't say anything.

"_Maka."_

She couldn't. The idea of something as unpredictable as love, and first love was ominous and frightening. Heartbreak was the thing she wanted to feel least.

She could choose now. And it was very simple. It was Soul or…. Or no Soul.

Maka blinked before staring up into Soul's pleading eyes, the need for her apparent. The small blonde's eyes began to sting, as water collected and fell down her face. She made no noise.  
"I'll try." She choked out.

Maka sat there, stunned with herself and her words. It was like a second reciprocation. No.  
It was their first. It was suddenly genuine.

It wasn't exactly what Soul wanted, Maka noted. He wanted a love confession from her- that was who Soul was. He liked clear, straight-forward answers. But Maka… she couldn't do it. Not yet at least. She didn't want to say anything she didn't mean… yet. She could say it when she felt the time was right, but for now- Two simple words would have to do.

Maka had barely any time to think about her actions before warmth spread across her face and mouth.  
It was Soul. He was kissing her again. Maka squeezed her eyes shut, more tears falling down her face. She felt her icy fingertips grow heated and her face rosy up a bit. Having Soul so close to her was extremely… satisfying. Until now, she hadn't realized exactly how much she'd wanted him.

Soul pulled away for a millisecond, taking quick breath before diving back onto her mouth again. Maka left behind her common sense… and followed her instinct. Maka pressed onto him, her lips numb and breath shaky. Everything was raw and heated- it was overwhelming. Maka kissed him back slowly, growing aware of his teeth gently grazing her lower lip. She clung to the thin fabric of his shirt for dear life and she was not released from the human cage Soul surrounded her with. Close contact seemed to be what she wanted at the moment- considering it wasn't exactly _her _kissing Soul, it felt more like her body was doing all the work- and she didn't subdue the soft kisses Soul would land on her cheek and jaw. She cupped her hands around his neck, pulling him in tightly, her back pressing into the wall. Maka's salty tears had dried onto her face but her eyelashes were still wet and brushing onto Soul's cheeks. It was almost as fierce as their first. But this kiss… it was different. It felt more vulnerable and Maka knew immediately after thought it wasn't her body responding back to Soul's actions anymore-  
It was herself.

She thought she would cry again- but she didn't. She either had no tears left or perhaps it was just because she was so happy there wasn't a possible way she could. Maka squeezed her eyes shut tightly, enveloped in Soul's heat. She was so vulnerable and he could fix her right now and it was almost perfect and it was love-

Maka opened her eyes suddenly, blinking once, slowly. She gently tugged her raw, shaky lips away from Soul's mouth, finding his own eyes open to meet hers. His were filled with confusion. Had he done something wrong?

Maka smiled faintly, running her tongue over her chap lips.  
"I'm tired." She murmured, covering up her own doubt in exhaustion.

Soul closed his eyes, reopening them again slowly. Maka pulled away. He was slightly confused. He was slightly relieved. But he couldn't deny he _was _slightly disappointed.  
"Tired?" He echoed unbelievingly.

Maka nodded.  
"Mmm-hmm." She replied, ducking under an arm that entrapped her against the wall. She reached up and rubbed an itchy eye.

Soul blinked, spinning around and leaning against the wall, arms crossed as he watched the girl slowly walk over to the couch. She sat down. And she flopped over onto her side, stretching her legs out and pressing against the cushions with earnest. Maka sighed, ready to fall into a deep, comfortable slumber. Soul didn't understand why, but her migration away from his side irritated him.

"Soul."

Soul exhaled, losing his patience, but not really at the same time.  
"What?" He snapped back, finally losing whatever kindness he had obtained moments ago.

"I'm _tired."_ Maka stated, the infliction in her voice directed more towards a demand than a comment.

"And why should I care?" He mumbled back, glancing towards the door to his bedroom and back to Maka.

Soul flinched, almost _feeling _Maka's angry wavelengths spread throughout the living room.  
"Ah- Okay, fine. You're tired." He said back to ease her rise in unhappiness.

Soul took the same route Maka did to get to her destination and flopped down on the couch, facing her lithe body. Maka inhaled through her nose and smiled as Soul squeezed closer and closer to her to accommodate the very little space on the tiny sofa. He didn't stop snuggling closer to her until his arms were wrapped around her, and concurrently, his legs. He rested the top of his head atop her mess of blonde hair and Maka responded by wrapping a single arm around his waist. Maka knew he could feel her hot breath through his shirt- and she could feel every motion taken for a single breath of air in his chest.

Maka inhaled deeply.  
"Mmm… You better not snore."

"Same to you."

Maka laughed inwardly into his shirt. She felt his breathing slow down, heart rate grow sparing. Perhaps it was time to settle down. Any lingering doubts and cats that could intrude- that could wait for the morning. Maka shut her eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it! I did. ****_*blush* _****And I never intended for it to be nearly this long. Just in case I didn't say so already- this is a ****quick ****little thing I created for a sweet little writing challenge prompt. And I'm losing. But there's no need to lose hope! ****Haha did I just make wordplay I need to stop being tired it is probably very annoying I'm so tired haha. **

**I really do hope you liked it! I loved it, and this is obviously my first story on Soul Eater, which I happen to love! If you ever feel the need to tell me how well I did this thing- feel free to leave a review! I wonder how well I accomplished this, given the fact it was about 5000 words long.  
Thank you reader!**


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